Saving the Hero
by naeHaneul
Summary: Sticks and stones may break bones, but how much do words actually hurt you? After a fight with Elsword, Aisha runs off and trouble arises. How far will their stubbornness go before someone gets hurt? UPDATE: I AM TRYING MY FASTEST
1. Fight or Flight

**First off, I'm so NOT sorry about the level of ship involved in this. Everyone ships ElsAi, okay. EVERYONE. With that being said, ElsAi is so canon that I can't not write cheesy romance stuffs. Yeah. Go me. :3**

**Second, I'm Haneul-chan, a newbie to this site~ ^w^ I like to ship and write and this is my first fanfic *ever .0.* Welcome to my world! Be happy I haven't drowned you all in sexual innuendos and puns yet, 'cause that's totally gonna happen one of these times.**

**Okay, onto the story we wanna read~ *not my boring introductions* Hope you enjoy it!**

**This is my spin on a hand-drawn Elsword comic I read ages ago. If any of you know the artist (I can't find them), the credit and inspiration goes to them. **

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**Job Classes:**

**Aisha: Elemental Master**

**Elsword: Rune Slayer**

**Rena: Grand Archer**

**Raven: Blade Master**

**Eve: Code Empress**

**Chung: Iron Paladin**

**Ara: Sakra Devanam**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Elsword franchise, all rights and characters/worlds belong to KOG.**_

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**Saving the Hero**

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**Prologue**

Elsword looked up, wincing as he tried to shake off the pain. He made an effort to stand, only to fall to his knees again; cursing El, he could only watch as the love of his life faced her opponent in his place. Maybe he shouldn't have run off to save her on his own, maybe he should've trusted his friends more, maybe he shouldn't have been so mean in the first place, but it didn't matter now. Now, he couldn't even stand, much less fight, and with every ounce of strength gone, he could only watch the battle unfold.

Her amethyst eyes drifted back, locking on his defeated crimson ones. With a small, reassuring smile, she raised her staff, shook her bangs out of her eyes, and spoke.

"You can't always be the hero, you know. Don't be an arrogant idiot who thinks he's the only one who can save people. Because this time, I'll do it. I'll save you." It was a promise, a desperate but determined promise, and it took everything the boy had to believe it. To believe in _her_.

"It's okay," she continued, "I can do it, I'll definitely win. I have you behind me, after all." With that, she turned, her gaze sharpening into a glare, and a deadly lavender aura enveloped her. The boy watched as she took a deep breath and teleported to her doom.

He was such a fucking idiot, she had no idea.

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**Chapter One: Fight or Flight**

Today was supposed to be a good day. It was Elsword's birthday and everyone was having the best of times preparing for the party that night. Oberon and Ophelia were fighting over which decorations to put up, with Eve throwing kicks at the two because it was just _not perfect_; Chung was showing Ara how to blow up balloons with helium, and having a bit more fun with the helium than was necessary; Rena was trying (and failing) at baking a cake and Raven was fidgeting in the corner of the kitchen-who knew Rena would get so defensive when he tried to help her bake?

Elsword woke up to the commotion in their quaint Velder townhouse wondering what had gotten into the gang, being so noisy so early in the morning. A soft knock at his bedroom door gave him the motivation to get up and get dressed. He pulled on his famous crop top and slacks before opening the door to his favorite purple-haired Mage.

_Damn, she looks cute_. It was a hot, summer day and Aisha held her coat in her hands; her sleeveless turtleneck exposed her shoulders and her bangs were pinned back with the gold ribbon hairpin Elsword had given her a while ago.

With a secret smile, the red-haired boy teased, "What's up, Shorty?"

"Oi, shaddup!" his remark was met with a spell book to the head and the Mage scowled, "I'm not short," she defended, "just fun-sized."

He laughed, making her scowl deeper. This early morning banter was normal for the two, enjoyable even.

"No, really, why'd you come all the way up to my room? We all know how much you hate the stairs."

"I swear to Holy El, I will go _return _your birthday present, you idiot," Aisha glared.

"My birthday present?"

"Don't tell me you forgot?" asked the girl, incredulous. "I knew you were an idiot, but you can't honestly be that dumb."

Elsword paused before the realization hit: She was right, today he turned 17.

"You forgot."

"Hey, cut me some slack! We've barely had enough time to relax after saving Hamel, unless you think I'm so selfish that I would think about my birthday before the reconstruction of the town?"

"Would it be insulting to you if I said I did?"

"Don't make me kiss you."

The girl flushed, fidgeting in the doorway, "You know what? Screw you!" and she turned to storm away.

In a flurry of red, Elsword caught her arm and pulled her back, "So, what'd ya get me?" His crimson eyes were ablaze with the smile that played on his lips.

"Maybe I don't want to give it to you now," she sulked, purple pigtails flying as she turned her head.

"Aww, come on, Aisha," Elsword pleaded, "please?" He gave her his best puppy dog face, and waited for her response.

Peeking up at him with one eye, the Mage sighed, "Would you stop with that face? It's making me want to punch you."

"Somehow, I don't believe you."

"Oh, you better," she warned, before shuffling in her coat pockets with her free hand. "Here," and she handed him a small box, no bigger than one of her spell books.

"If this is a book, I will dump you right here and now."

"Lady El, I'm not that mean," she rolled her eyes. "Just open it."

He let go of her arm to open the box, pulling the purple ribbon off slowly, savoring the moment.

"Since when were you the patient one?" she frowned, noting his deliberate movements.

"Since when were you an impatient grape head? Oh wait, that's always," the red-haired boy countered with a smirk.

Before she could do much more than glare, he opened to box to reveal a picture. A picture of her, set in an engraved wooden frame that read "More than family". A genuine smile crept onto the boy's face, and he looked down to thank the girl.

"I know it's not much and you probably don't like it, but I thought it was a good idea," she said, averting her gaze. "Actually, Rena was the one who suggested it, but I did the engraving myself. It's okay if you think it's a waste, I mean, the picture isn't even that good and-"

He cut her off with a tight hug, holding her close enough to let her feel the smile on his lips. "Thanks, Aisha. It means a lot."

Blushing, the purple-haired girl smiled, "It means a lot to me too…" Aisha added softly, "Just in case your sister never comes back, you'll always have me. You'll always have us."

The atmosphere dimmed with the boy's frown at the mention of his sister. She was out there somewhere and he knew it, he knew she'd come back. Because she wouldn't just leave him alone in the world, right? He'd vowed he would become strong enough to protect the ones he loved and in return, she'd promised him she'd see him when that time came, when the time came that he caught up to her.

The one thing that annoyed him more than his girlfriend beating him at something was someone mentioning his sister.

"Always back to her, huh.." he muttered with a bitter sigh.

"Ah, Els, I-" Aisha stumbled to fix her mistake. This was his birthday, she was supposed to be making him happy, not reminding him of the past. "Ahh, I suppose I should go make sure Rena doesn't burn the house down…" her excuse hung in the empty air, cut to pieces by Elsword's steely look.

"If there's anything I don't want to deal with today, it's your jealousy of my sister. So, if that's all you care about, then don't bother caring about me. Happy 17th birthday, Elsword, you can leave me alone, Aisha," and he pushed passed her, shoving the picture into his pocket.

Frozen in his doorway, Aisha was left in a suffocating silence, as her boyfriend's angry words sunk in. Slumping to the ground, she buried her head in her hands, trying to fight off the tears that were threatened to spill over. _I'm terrible, __I shouldn't have brought that up today. I should've just shut my mouth. __I've no freaking right to call myself his girlfriend._

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She tried to apologize, she really did. But every time Aisha would approach him, Elsword would spare the girl one glance before blowing her off and ignoring her. When she went up to him and Chung as they headed into town for more cake ingredients (Rena had ruined the cake for the third time), he simply turned away and started a conversation with his blonde friend. When she offered him her handkerchief after Oberon and Ophelia had a fight over who got to make the punch-which ultimately ended in a big mess-he shrugged her off without a word.

The tension in the air grew to such a level that everyone in the house became uneasy, wary of the couple's fight. Rena constantly shot worried glances between Elsword and Aisha, not knowing what to do or who to talk to first. Chung quietly polished his canon in a corner, Ara nervously fidgeted with her hairpin, and Eve became more violent to her servants, handing out punishments left and right.

Finally, unable to bear the silence any longer, Aisha gathered her courage and walked up to the red-haired boy. Hesitantly, she started, "Hey, Els…"

"Do you need something?" he interjected, crimson orbs devoid of emotion.

"Um, well, I just wanted to apologize. I was really selfish to say that, so-"

"So you need me to repeat myself?"

"Huh?" confusion laced the girl's amethyst eyes.

"I told you to leave me alone, you jealous witch. We're done."

Eyes widened in surprise and hurt, Aisha could only stare as Elsword stormed off to his room. Blinking back tears, she too, ran to her room. Slamming her door, the purple-haired girl curled up on her bed and buried her face in a pink pillow. Ignoring Rena's persistent knocking, Aisha's tears soon grew angry. Ripping the golden hairpin out, she threw it to the floor and grabbed her coat. It might have been sultry out, but Elsword's words made her shiver.

"Aisha? Will you please open the door? Come on, let's talk this out," the elf pleaded.

Instead, Aisha turned and strode to her open window. Grabbing her staff, she leapt out and blindly ran as tears streamed down her face. Her magic running amiss, the sunny day turned cloudy, and a storm that epitomized her churning feelings grew with every step she took. By the time Rena peaked into her room, Aisha was halfway out of Velder and it had begun to rain.

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_A mage ran, trying to escape her feelings and the town that housed her now-ex-boyfriend._

_A chair was kicked, a curse hissed, and a red-haired boy sat on the edge of his bed, wondering why he'd exploded on the annoying girl that had stolen his heart long ago._

_And a sinister smile crept onto the face of a watchful shadow."__**How convenient,"** __they laughed. "__**Just you wait, Master..."**_

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**Maybe that was abrupt, but I kinda don't care :I **

**That's chapter one for ya~ How'd you like it? (Constructive reviews are welcomed *begs* hep I suck at everything but dialogue q~q) I promise there will be much more action in future chapters (as well as more words), I just had to set the stage.**

***grins* Can you guess who the shadow is?**


	2. Forgiveness or Regret

**Back with chapter two so soon~ We all love Christmas break, don't we? More time to read and write fanfics :3 Enjoy!**

_**Disclaimer: Elsword and its characters belong to KOG, not me.**_

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**Saving the Hero**

_by naeHaneul_

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**Chapter Two**

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**Aisha's POV**

Stopping, Aisha leaned against a tree to catch her breath. She continued to stand by the idea that "exercise was for squares and books were better," but _damn_, she shouldn't be _this _out of shape.

"I bet the last time I ran this hard was when I had to go back behind Velder's gates and pull a certain idiot out of the way of a crashing tower..." she mused aloud, the memory and it's relation to _him_ making her eyebrow twitch.

Her tears had long since dried and her composure hardened, but it still stung to remember their last argument. Did he really mean all that? Maybe she seemed a little jealous, but there wasn't much for her to be jealous of, having never met his sister nor knowing much of her anyways. She'd just wanted to give him something meaningful for his birthday to show how much he meant to her.

"I just wanted to tell you I love you, Els," she murmured into the mist.

She was determined not to cry, but at this rate, her future wasn't very promising. To re-occupy herself, she glanced around, trying to figure out how far she'd run. Aisha stood in the wake of a terribly foggy forest, the town of Velder behind her, and a shiver ran down her back. Indecisive, she wandered the outskirts of the forest, wondering if she should hide out here until tomorrow or go back.

"No. I'm not going back to that rude idiot! He can go screw a phoru for all I care!"

Her spoken thought was an effort to distract herself from the growing darkness as day turned into night. Fumbling with her staff, Aisha summoned a little ring of fire around her, three balls of flame that washed her in an aura of light. She had to admit, this forest was creepy-with-a-capital-K material—the trees were all bent and disfigured, the floor a mess of overgrown weeds and tree roots. Aisha jumped at every sound, _This is all _his _fault! That stupid idiot!_

She took a shaky breath, her fire and equanimity wavering; he didn't have to be so mean, she was ready to accept her mistake and move on, but he'd flat out turned her down with not so much as a smirk. As lost in thought as she was, it's no wonder she'd eventually trip, since Aisha was far from the most graceful mage in existence.

A tree root sent her sprawling, resulting in a scraped knee and hands, and mud on her favorite white coat. Her spell book and staff went flying and she cursed, wiping mud from her clothes and wounds. Tears welled up against her will as her circle of fire sputtered out, leaving her in a darkness only illuminated by the moon overhead. Sniffling, Aisha groped around for her spell book, when suddenly a foot came down upon her outstretched hand.

"Well, well, well... What's a cute little girl like you doing out here, huh? Crying over spilled milk again?" a voice leered, grinding their foot on the girl's hand.

"_Chloe_," she hissed, glaring up at the dark elf. "_What do you want?_"

"Oh, dearest, must you assume I always want something of you?" she mocked. "Oh no, I don't want anything _from_ you, darling Aisha. I just want _you_."

In an instant, Chloe had grabbed a pigtail and drug the mage to her feet, eliciting a yelp of pain from the girl. The elf had her staff and spell book and she flipped to a page, reading off a spell. Soon enough, two of her minions had appeared and taken hold of the purple-haired girl.

"W-what do you think you're doing!?" Aisha yelled, struggling against her captors.

"I'm just going to borrow you for a bit," the dark elf purred and kneed her prisoner hard in the stomach.

The mage choked as air and light were forced out of her. _Elsword_, she thought, _damn it, if it wasn't for him..._ and into darkness she fell.

**Elsword's POV**

"Alright, I get it! Enough already!" he cried, spinning to face his visitor. "Rena was already in here yelling about my stupidity and selfishness, and if that's all you want, save your breath!"

Raven raised an eyebrow, "You sound like you don't feel bad at all."

"So what if I don't? What are you gonna do, lecture me?" the Rune Slayer challenged. He was already pissed off enough, he didn't need more provocation.

It happened in a flash—a flash of dark hair and shining silver—and the red-haired boy flew out his open window, landing face-first in the dusty road. The sun beat down on him, and Elsword squinted up in anger, a swear and a shout already rising in his throat.

"Raven, what the fu-!"

He was cut off as the Blade Master sliced his sword to the others throat, it's dangerous blade steaming in the heat.

"In all our adventures, I never would have taken you as someone who would run away from a fight," Raven said, his gold eyes deadly serious. "But you really are a coward."

"_What did you say!?"_ the boy growled, his anger summoning a few stray fire runes.

"I said you're a coward," Raven spat, unfazed, "you've no right to call yourself a swordsman, or, hell, a man in general."

"Tch! Don't scold me like I'm a kid. You don't know anything!"

"Maybe so, but I do know _you_, Elsword," he said, pressing the edge of his sword harshly against his friend's throat, drawing a bead of scarlet blood. "The Elsword I know," Raven continued, "wouldn't draw out a fight over a petty thing like jealousy. Besides, El knows, _you're the one who's actually jealous_."

The bitter truth of his words shut the boy up. Elsword could find no words to defend himself against his pitiful situation. It was true, it had been an ignorantly stupid fight, but what could he do now? Aisha wouldn't forgive him that easily.

A crowd had gathered at the sound of their heated argument, and was soon broken apart by a breathless, obviously distressed Rena.

"What's going on out here?" the elf demanded, running up to the two.

"Just knocking some sense into the kid," the Blade Master sighed and withdrew his sword. "Why? What's got you in a hurry?"

"It's Aisha. She's gone."

"What?" Elsword snapped his head up at her exclamation.

"I—her window was open and her coat and staff are gone. I've looked everywhere but there's no sign of her..." Tears welled up in Rena's eyes and she directed her gaze to the boy on the ground, "This is all your fault! Who knows where she went or if she's even coming back!" Her blonde hair sailed as she turned and ran back to notify the others.

"Tch. I don't know if it's even worth asking you to help look for her. You might have once loved her more than us, but now, I can't really say," Raven said warily and followed his girlfriend into the house, leaving Elsword alone in the sweltering heat.

"_Damn it!_" the red-haired boy punched the ground, sending a cloud of dust flying. "You're wrong...all of you! I-I _do_ love her... I've only loved her..." he whispered. For the first time in years, tears pulled at the corners of his eyes, daring him to lose his composure. But what did composure matter in this situation? Hell, what did _love_ matter when his girlfriend had turned up missing, without a word to anyone, and he was the only one to blame?

Rena had said Aisha was gone and they were going to look for her, but who knew the lost mage better than he? He was the one who knew she actually hated cake, despite her obsession with sweets; he knew she liked the stars better than a sunset and that she couldn't stay angry when he smiled. Elsword was the one who knew how self-conscious and insecure the girl actually was, how much she worried over little things; he knew that because of how impulsive and stubborn she was, Aisha would be hard to find, no matter who searched for her.

Letting out an anguished cry, the boy tore at his hair. He should have just sucked it up and apologized in the first place, not let this get so out of hand. He should have known that she didn't mean it like that, and Holy Lady El, he should have known himself better. Raven was right, _he_ was the only jealous one here. He was jealous that Aisha seemed to worry more over whether his sister was coming back than he. Pounding the ground in frustration, the boy realized that, no matter if his sister returned, he had his friends beside him; he had Aisha.

_Emphasis on the "had,_" he mulled over darkly. With an exasperated sigh, Elsword picked himself off the ground and trudged back into the house. He wasn't getting anywhere with these thoughts, and wouldn't if he didn't let off the steam that had built up from the day's events.

It was ironic how, even though it was his birthday, everyone was worried about someone else—including himself. As he plodded up the steps to his room, an acrimonious smile crossed his face. _Sis would totally beat me up for this_, he thought, _she would drag me by my__ear and throw me in front of _her_and make me apologize, first thing... Aisha... Where did you go?_

Retrieving his sword, the Rune Slayer headed out back to practice his swordsmanship, mind full of worry. Wondering what in all of Lurensia he could do to make it up to his love and his friends, he spun and unleashed an attack on an unsuspecting foe. When his Flaming Fist was parried with a knife, Elsword skid back in surprise, confusion written all over his face.

"Hmph, and here I was going to be nice and give you a hint at where your girlfriend was..." the dark elf muttered. Instead, she shrugged, "Guess not~ too bad Ran'll have to wait..." And with that, Chloe disappeared into the shadows, leaving the boy alone with his thoughts once more.

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**I like to think I'm really good at cliffhangers... teehee angry Els is adorable, no? Oohhh~ the things one does for love! **


	3. Cowardice vs Fire

**I'm still alive, I promise! I sincerely apologize for being so late with the update, I have a bit of a procrastination problem. ^^; This chapter is longer to make up for that, and to dearest Arrow-chan, my lovely reviewer, *shoves chapter in your face* TAKE IT. TAKE IT AND TAKE THE FLUFFYNESS I SOWWY I BE SO LATE AAHHH**

**...yes there is fluffyness...I couldn't help it, I felt like it was needed. Also, I was writing this in the car giggling because it was so cute and my mom kept shooting me weird looks. Yes, mom... the world of fanfiction is great.**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Elsword, it's characters, or it's worlds.**_

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**Saving the Hero**

_by naeHaneul_

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**Chapter Three**

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**Aisha's POV**

"Chloe! Come out, you damn elf!" the girl shook at the bars surrounding her.

Frustrated, she punched the side of the cage that constricted her, "Ow! Damn it!" Aisha slumped to the floor, clutching her hand, "What's with this?" she cried helplessly, glancing around and pulling her knees to her chest. The Elemental Master felt so powerless—and she was—because the cage she'd woken up in was littered with magic seals. Her staff and spell book were completely useless even though they had long-since been returned, for she could do nothing about her situation. With no mana and no way to use magic, Aisha curled up against her cold metal prison as hot tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Honestly, I don't know what that fire-obsessed kid sees in you, all you do is cry. So much for the 'all-powerful Mage' that rumors tell of," Chloe smirked as she entered the room. "But don't worry, darling, your stupid friends will be here soon, and when they do, my master has the _grandest_ of plans for them," the elf let out a peal of high-pitched laughter before a shadow passed over her face and she ducked her head into a bow as Ran strode in.

"Hn, what a pleasure it is seeing you again, Aisha," he crooned, his magenta eyes glinting with sarcasm.

"Ran?" the girl jumped up, clutching the bars with a new-found energy. "I-I thought we..."

"Oh dear, you didn't think I could be taken down so easily, did you?"

"But we...we..." Aisha fell to her knees at the flick of Ran's finger. Struggling under his overwhelming aura of power, her eyes widened in fear at his murderous glare. He'd gotten more powerful since the last time they faced him, she could feel it.

"_You_ won't talk, wench," he sneered in disgust, "you're absolutely useless to me, but Chloe, here, _insisted_ the others would follow if she stole you." He walked over to the front of the cage, leaning in and giving the purple-haired girl a malicious smile, "The only one I'm interested in is the boy, the boy with whom you are particularly close too," he hissed before his eyes hardened and he turned, silver hair flying.

With a wave of his hand, he silenced the girl and strode out.

Chloe giggled, dancing over to where Aisha grasped at her throat, lips moving up and down yet no sound being produced.

"Ohhh~ can't cry now, can you?" the dark elf pealed. "Poor baby, maybe your boyfriend will be here soon to save you, that is, if he can make it past us first. But don't worry, dearest, if he even gets close, I'll let you have a front row seat to his death. I'll make sure the last thing he sees is his crying girlfriend." She smiled sweetly at Aisha before continuing with a glance at one of the numerous computers in the room, "Speak of the devil, I suppose they're here..."

The Mage jerked her head up at the exclamation, questions written all over her face. Although she couldn't call out to them, she could see them as clear as day on the screen, and it was a sight that made her stomach plummet.

**Elsword's POV**

"W-what?" Dumbfounded, Elsword stared at the shadow where Chloe had come and gone. Her words rang through his mind: She knew where Aisha was and somehow, Ran was involved. But where? And why? The Elgang had already drove the dark army out of Velder and had been working their way through Hamel ever since (although now they were focusing on helping rebuild Velder now that everything had been cleaned up). If Ran was hiding anywhere, he'd be somewhere in the Halls of Water again or maybe even hiding out in the Temple of Trials. He had escaped the first time they battled him, but maybe there was something else this time; maybe Ran needed Aisha for something.

No, that didn't make sense. Aisha was an extremely skilled magician, being an Elemental Master and all, but Ran's army had hundreds of mages. Why would he need another, much less Aisha?

Unless he was trying to provoke them, which was probable; this could be a trap to draw them apart and drag them into the Halls of Water to pick them off one by one. But it was strange, the whole Elgang has already defeated Ran once and they were definitely stronger than they had been at that time, so who's to think they couldn't defeat him again?

"Agh!" Elsword pulled at his hair in frustration. Strategy was never his strong point, that was usually Rena or Raven's job.

"But I can't just walk back in there with no plan and expect them to believe me," he looked at their townhouse longingly. "Even if I tell them what Chloe said, I'm not sure they'll believe me. I am the one the blame in the first place."

And what were they going to do to her, in the meantime? Every minute wasted thinking and planning was a minute that Aisha could need. But what could Elsword do? Could he really go save her on his own?

"What am I doing doubting myself?" the red-haired boy mumbled, "aren't I the 'useless, irritating, self-absorbed idiot' as Aisha always preached? Where's all that confidence now?"

But even as the boy strode with purpose back into the townhouse, he couldn't help but be distracted by his flaws. He marched right past his friends as they stood around the table discussing, drawing confused looks at his sudden return, and headed up to his room, all the while not feeling near as confident as he looked.

Tossing his sword on the floor, he flopped face-first onto his bed and buried his head in a pillow. With a loud sigh, Elsword rolled over, staring at the magic lanterns that floated around his room. Made of dark metal twisted into cute designs, they were lit with a dancing fire rune. The sight of them made Elsword huff as he remembered the day they enchanted them...

_"No, you're doing it all wrong!" the girl yelled, whacking the boy with her staff._

_"Ow! Hey, what the hell was that for, Aisha?" he complained and rubbed his head._

_"That was for ruining my perfect lantern!" She cried, annoyed._

_"Um, if by that you mean _**fixed **_your stupid lantern, then I am not apologizing." Elsword nodded_ _at __the one he'd been working on, which was, in comparison, much less cute and held a blazing rune instead of a fireball._

_"No, you definitely ruined it," the Mage glared. "It looked perfectly fine until you came and messed it up," she huffed and turned her head._

_"There's no way in all seven hells I am hanging lanterns like yours __in my room."_

_"What!?"_

_"Too ugly," the Rune Slayer smirked, "just like their creator."_

_"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME!?"_

_"I'm simply stating the truth, Grape Head," the boy laughed, fully amused with her reaction._

_"We both agreed that because your room had no lights we'd make them ourselves, and if you don't want my help, don't ask in the first place!" Aisha shouted, her voice growing gradually louder until the neighbors could probably hear her._

_"Hey, I wasn't the one who asked for a loud Grape Head to invade my personal space and force cute bat lanterns into my hands, that was Rena," he defended. "But I wouldn't expect any more from a cutting board shorty like you, so I guess I'll deal with it..." Elsword trailed off, counting the seconds until his words clicked and she exploded._

_One... Two... Thr-_

_"WAS THAT A FLAT-CHESTED JOKE BECAUSE I SWEAR TO LADY EL I WILL STRANGLE YOU, LIGHT YOUR STUPID CHERRY HEAD ABLAZE, AND USE YOU AS A LANTERN IN MY ROOM, YOU USELESS, IRRITATING, __**SELF-ABSORBED IDIOT!**__"_

_Maybe it was how high her screech got towards the end of her spiel, maybe it was how all her enchanted lanterns rose up behind her like Eve's drones, or maybe it was simply the look on her face that did it. Or, perhaps it was a combination of all three._

_Elsword tipped his chair over, falling to the floor with a loud CRASH!, roaring with laughter. He couldn't help himself, she was just so vulnerable and tease-worthy that he could never pass up an opportunity to make her mad. The way her face flushed and how she blinked away angry tears made her an extremely cute sight, even if she was chasing the red-head around with homing fireballs or something. Hitting him, throwing stray books __at him, kicking him in the shins, even her yelling...__Elsword had gotten used to all of it and looking back, he realized he even enjoyed their little quarrels._

_Holding his aching stomach, the redhead looked up at his girlfriend, fuming and flustered, and had to offer a genuine smile in her direction._

_Completely taken aback by his smile—a_ _true __smile, not his usual teasing smirk—Aisha blinked, all anger forgotten by her boyfriend's sudden change. Now, he wasn't laughing at or because of her, he was laughing at them and their foolishness._

_"W-what's that look for?" the Mage stammered, her blush deepening to match the boy's hair color._

_Grinning, Elsword rose to his full height, he'd gained a whole 3 inches on Aisha this last year, and pulled her into a tight hug._

_She stiffened, dazed, but gradually let herself melt into the others embrace._

_"You know, there's something about you that gets me every time..." he murmured into her hair, making her shiver. "I can't seem to place what it is, but it keeps reminding me of something," he pulled back to look into the amethyst eyes that he cherished so much._

_Egged on by his unwavering gaze, the Elemental Master inquired in __a small voice, "And w-what's th-that?"_

_Leaning down, the Elsword brushed his lips against hers and whispered, "I love you, Aisha."_

_After that, the two decided to compromise: Keep the bat lanterns, add fire runes. Together they enchanted them, floating them __just below the ceiling._

_"No regrets," the couple agreed, lacing their hands together._

Stretching an arm out, Elsword shielded himself from the warm light of one of the lanterns, staring at the back of his hand.

"No regrets, huh?" he reminisced to himself, closing his hand into a fist and letting it fall to his bed. Rolling onto his side, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the little picture frame. Its engraved words sparkled in the light of his room, dancing like fire.

He had to save her, he knew that, but could he do it by himself? He'd be facing Ran and Chloe and who knows what else; it could be one against one thousand for all he knew, but could he do it?

Mind racing, the red-haired boy stared into the snapshot girl's smiling amethyst eyes until he could see no more.

When Rena came up before they left, later that night, having also been tipped off by Chloe, she found an exhausted boy clutching a photograph like it was a life line. Gently pulling the picture frame from his grasp, she set it on his desk and pulled a blanket over him.

"Sleep well, Elsword. We'll find her."

**Aisha's POV**

Her friends had come indeed: Rena, Raven, Ara, Chung, and Eve, but a certain red-haired idiot was nowhere to be found.

With a fake gasp, Chloe's mouth formed a mocking little "o", "Awww looks like Elboy didn't make it after all... He did seem a little upset when I visited him, much more so than when I talked to the rest of your friends."

Aisha's eyes widened in shock, Chloe had gone to see them? Soon enough, the dark elf decided to go join the "party," promising Aisha that she'd put her friends through hell just for her, and if Elsword showed up, she'd make sure he paid for upsetting his girlfriend.

She said he'd been really upset, even more than the rest of them and Aisha had seen Rena get worried before and that would be pretty hard to beat. But if Chloe was telling the truth and Elsword was blaming himself, where was that idiot? He would never pass up the opportunity to fight and if Aisha was in trouble he'd be the one to recklessly come alone...right? He's the one who rage-mode swings is stupid sword around all the time, right?

_He wouldn't just leave me here right?_

Elsword was always the one who wanted to be the hero, he wanted the credit, he wanted to be the knight in shining armor; he wanted to save the princess. But Aisha was here now, selfishly captured, and where was he? Had he finally gotten tired of playing the hero? Did his doubts finally catch up to him? Aisha always knew how hard he was on himself, she knew he hid behind his loud confidence because he was actually truly afraid of losing something important, some_one_ important. He thought that if he was always the hero, he could ensure the safety of those he treasured, that he could always save everyone.

But she believed in him, she'd always believed in him, and had constantly tried to let him know that. Worry clouded her vision as the Mage got lost in her thoughts, the battle that engulfed her friends was silent and far away from her. A wave of helplessness settled over the girl; she wanted so desperately to help them and to make Elsword believe she meant her apology. She wanted to see his smile again, wanted him to tease her and ruffle her hair like he always did, but mostly, she just wanted to know he was okay.

_I believe in you Els, so where are you? Are you just going to abandon your friends? Are you just going to abandon me?_

A single tear slipped out, leaving a trail as it rolled down the Elemental Master's cheek, leaving her to watch the fight continue.

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**Was that okay? I hope you guys like this story (cuz I know I do) and I'll seriously try to update faster until school starts again because then I'm afraid I can't promise anything... But for now, review, favorite, follow~ anything helps! It's a great confidence booster when I find someone loves this as much as I do.**

**Thank you much~!**

**Love, Haneul-chan**


	4. Spells and Redemption

***rage quits* HERE TAKE AISHA BEING A BADASS MAGICIAN AND ALSO ELS BEING SAD AND GUESS WHAT ELEMENTAL FREAKING STORM BISHES HELL FREAKING YEAH. GG TO THAT!**

**I'm really, really sorry for how late this update is, I haven't had any time at all to write since school started, I actually wrote this chapter at an all-day wrestling tournament. I'm trying my best to keep up with everything and unfortunately that means my free-time writing is at the bottom of my priorities. Thanks for waiting up for chapters, though, I hope this doesn't disappoint!**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Elsword, all rights belong to KOG, not me.**_

* * *

**Saving the Hero**

_by naeHaneul_

* * *

**Chapter Four**

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**Aisha's POV**

"No. Tears don't help anything," she shook her head vigorously, "I need to help them." The Mage watched as her friends took on Chloe and her demon army in an uncomfortable silence. She had to do something; she had to escape.

Looking around her cage scattered with magic seals, Aisha wondered just how much they would hold against mana charging. From her time spent analyzing magic theory books, she knew a thing or two about magic seals: One) they could be compromised easily with enough power, two) certain types of seals were weaker to certain types of magic, and three) no amount of magic seal can hold a Mage in forever, especially not an Elemental Master. Aisha not only knew how to control the purest destructive elements, but had mastered them and all their properties.

"Okay," came her spoken thought, "let's start with what we already know, Aisha." Moving around her small cage, she counted the number of magic seals, "19 in all and the corners have cornerstone seals, which are hard to break, but if I can get one, the rest are useless." The seals appeared to be the same type, which left figuring out what their weak spot was.

The Elemental Master felt a little more confident as she assessed her situation and opened up her spell book, sitting in the middle of the cage. Aisha leafed through the back of her book, searching for anything that would help her. She knew she had written something about magic seals in a margin somewhere, but of what context?

"Wait a minute!" the girl suddenly shot to her feet, "I remember Lenphad telling us back in Elder that magic seals could be used for other things than to hold off magic."

Starting to pace, Aisha racked her brain for clues. "Magic seals are used on the best equipment for preservation as well as on the rarest magic objects for concealment. After all, the magic ring that absorbed all my power and magic had a terribly powerful seal on it too, and the minute it started taking my power, it bro—THAT'S IT!" A breathless smile formed on the girl's face, "So, if I use my best magic to overload a cornerstone seal and a few others, they'll most likely absorb the magic and burst!"

She flipped back to the front of her spell book, searching her numerous magic skills. Ever since she became an Elemental Master, there was one element that came easier than the rest, perhaps because she'd known it for so long. Fire had always been her specialty, just like the idiot swordsman she had taught the basics of fire magic too, and this time she needed its perfection more than ever.

However, Aisha hypothesized that while fire may overload the regular seals, it might not do much to the cornerstone seals. Those type of seals specialized in setting up and holding magical boundaries; Aisha had seen a few of these at the Mage's Sanctuary before she left, and had questioned them to the Head Master. The trick with cornerstone seals was that you had to hit all of them at once, and the magic boundary between them must be broken by a concentrated wave of mana or a high level spell, aka: hit all four, but concentrate on breaking one. This is why the magical boundary of the Sanctuary has yet to be broken: no one Mage could target and hit every single cornerstone seal at the same time.

But soon, the girl ran into a problem: Cornerstone seals had a habit of absorbing the spell if too much of one type of magic was used. They "got used to" that element and built up a tolerance.

"An ordinary Gust Storm would work except that its strictly fire magic, and even if I could summon a Lightning or Blizzard Shower, I don't know how much they'd damage the other seals, much less the cornerstones..." trailing off, Aisha plopped back down and picked up her staff, twirling it absentmindedly. "It would really help if I had a spell that used more than one element at a time; even before my powers were stolen I wasn't allowed to read those books because of my age."

The Sanctuary had restricted poly-element spells to only those who had decades of experience in using magic, and obviously that excluded Aisha. It was a logical excuse for not letting a kid become more powerful than the Elders, but Aisha's cousin had once stolen a book and the young Mage had snuck a few glances, but remembered nothing that would help her now.

It couldn't be that hard, could it? She figured that summoning more than one element would take as much mana as any spell but it would be the amount of destructive power that really impacted how much mana and strength was spent.

In theory, if she summoned the main elements-fire, ice, and wind, along with her new element lightning-in lesser increments, it would take all of her mana. As for destructive power, smaller amounts of one element meant more power could be asserted to each one in specific; therefore, a pretty powerful spell could be produced since each element uses a different kind of magic. So, if she wrote her own spell, it shouldn't be hard to summon elements in quick succession. It probably just took practice and skill, and Aisha definitely had skill.

But getting her mana charged in a restricting cage like this would be the first obstacle she'd have to face. With a heavy sigh, the purple haired girl sat down and crossed her legs. Folding her hands lightly across her lap she closed her eyes and relaxed, focusing on her mana.

She wished she had her friends' help, hell, she even wished Elsword was here. It was a stubborn wish, but that Rune Slayer's stupid grin always made her feel better, especially during the middle of a fight. But now there was no one coming for her, the closest people were stuck battling an army of demons, and Elsword didn't even dare show his face. It was up to her to escape, it was her turn to save herself.

Sucking in a deep breath, the Elemental Master prayed her compromised magic theory would work, that her mana would charge bit by bit, and that she could make it in time to stop Ran.

**Elsword's POV**

Warm sunlight filtered in through his window, and surprisingly enough, he wasn't woke by the lively chatter he was used to, but instead by a bitter silence.

As he sat up, the red haired boy stretched, his mouth opened wide in a yawn, and pushed away the lurking tendrils of sleep. By the light outside, he figured it was around 9, puzzled as to why no one bad bothered him yet to harp at him to go find his girlfriend and apologize. But then again, as he noticed the blanket that had been pulled over him and how her picture, which he knew fell asleep with, was sitting on his desk, Rena must have come in sometime after he'd fallen asleep.

As the town outside his window buzzed to life, Elsword looked around his room in a vaguely depressed air. There were so many reminders of his love and each one pressed on his heart with a new weight. His copy of _Magic &amp; Runes Galore: The Fire Edition_ that she'd given him when he expressed his interest in learning magic, the notes scattered about his desk of the skills he thought up-the skills Aisha's knowledge had brought to life, and now, her picture.

"Happy birthday, Els, you not only broke her heart, but yours as well," he murmured, running a hand through his messy, spiked red hair.

The swordsman trudged out of bed, still wearing his clothes from yesterday, but not bothering to change. He needed to talk to Rena and Raven, he needed to apologize for being such a jerk, and he needed to set things right with everyone, including his Aisha.

The townhouse was oddly silent, and when Elsword walked down the stairs expecting to find everyone glaring at him, he's heart sank to find another empty room. Spying a piece of paper on the table, the boy strode over to it, his worst fears about to be confirmed.

_"Hey Els,"_ it read in Rena's sloppy curves, "_If you're reading this that means we're long gone. You probably didn't find what I left on your desk either, knowing you."_

Gone? His desk? What?

_ "We went to go get Aisha, Chloe said she was in the Halls of Water and Ran ways holding her there, waiting for us to come. Obviously, we know it's a trap, but Raven's taking a page out of your book and saying 'We couldn't care less' which is definitely true. Aisha's our dear friend and she's in trouble so we can't not do anything, right? I'm sure you understand. Oh, Raven wanted me to add that no one blames you for this little mishap, but you don't need to follow because we've got it taken care of, so don't worry! Watch the house for us__, we'll be back soon! -Rena"_

"Dammit!" Elsword crumpled the note into his fist, slamming it down on the table, the noise echoing in the empty house. Turning on his heel, he flew back to his room, his hair's red braids trailing behind him. Pacing back and forth in front of his bed he stopped as he processed Raven's words.

Disappointment. Utter disappointment, that's what the man had meant. A lazy glance at his own sword led to a dent in the bed as he kicked it in frustration.

"Damn it all to El!" once more came his anguished cry, ad he continued to beat at his bed until a tear slipped and fell down his cheek. His whole body shook in a mix of sadness, regret, and rage, and he gave in to the rain.

"I shouldn't be here, I shouldn't be here at all. What's a swordsman with no pride? What's the use in learning magic, learning_ anything_, if I'm absolutely useless when it matters most!?" Enraged, he found himself reaching for something to throw, to take his anger out on.

A picture, a line of heartfelt words, and Elsword fell to his knees. Choking back a sob, the boy let the picture fall from his hands, he couldn't bear to look at it anymore. If he didn't deserve his sword, he definitely didn't deserve her. All of this was because of him and some stupid fight. Who knew what Ran would do to her, who knew if his friends could even get there in time.

Rubbing at his furious tears, something white caught his eye. There was a little envelope on his desk and he was jerked out of his despair by Rena's words echoing through his head. No matter how upset he was, curiosity always killed the cat, and the red-haired boy opened the envelope with sad eyes.

Not knowing what to expect, Elsword was surprised to find a long silver chain with a small decorated sword hanging from it. It was extremely similar to his sword, but instead of being fire-rune based, it showed the fire flower sigil he was all too familiar with.

The necklace's significance unknown, he looked for an explanation.

A small piece of folded paper had fallen to the floor when he pulled the necklace out. It was a page ripped out of a notebook, and in a familiar half-cursive scrawl were the words,

_ "June 15: I finished the sigil/sword charms today. I wonder if he'll like it? Eve gave me the best idea to enchant it and keep a similar one so that they'll always be drawn to each other. Rena keeps teasing me and calling them 'love amulets' That red-haired jerk would probably never understand it but I suppose the cheesy romance is worth a shot."_

Elsword stood up, a shadow falling across his eyes. Sliding the necklace over his head, he grabbed his sword and strode out the door, out of the house, heading in the direction of Hamel. He would find her, he would save her, and then he would punish whoever did this.

"No one touches my Aisha," and his growl dared anyone to try and test him, just to see what the consequences would be.

* * *

**Okay, good? It was very, very technical, what with Aisha trying to escape and all, but I tried hard _ If you couldn't tell, the skill she's planning is Elemental Storm, or EM's HyperActive skill. I'm not an experienced EM player (but I'm trying to master mine), so I hope all the magic/seal stuff made sense.**

**Thanks for reading! Favorite, follow, review; I appreciate it!**


	5. Reunion

**It's been a while... Please forgive me, I was in between finishing this fic or quitting writing fanfic, and, lucky for you all, I reread the whole story and couldn't help grinning; therefore, here: I'll finish it (hopefully). It's summer and I'm bored, what can I say? A little fanfic never hurt anyone.**  
**To all those who kept reading and rereading and begging for me to post: I AM SO SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG BUT I AM A PIECE OF LAZY CRAP!**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Elsword, its characters, or its worlds.**_

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**Saving the Hero**

_by: naeHaneul_

* * *

**Chapter Five**

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**Elsword's POV**

The landscape blurred together, a kaleidoscope of browns and greens as the boy made his way to his love. He felt no fatigue, no hurt, just anger, as he sailed onwards. Soon, his surroundings turned to the whites and ceruleans and golds of his best friend's home country. Sparing not a second to stop, he sprinted off the boat into Hamel. Grasping the chain around his neck, Elsword's eyes blazed a brilliant crimson, and the amulet warmed in his hand. He knew Aisha's magic, and he knew that now, of all times, it would work.

If only he knew what a great thing that belief was.

**Aisha's POV**

Swirling through the dark calm of her own mind, the Mage felt her mana inch along, straining against the magical boundaries of her imprisonment, but charging nonetheless. Bit by bit, she could feel her magic returning; it seemed that her cousin's Meditation training had finally paid off. A warm sensation in her pocket pulled her from concentration, and puzzled, she opened her eyes.

Gently feeling for her pocket, Aisha let out a small gasp. In her hand lay, adorning a sliver chain, a fire sigil, but instead of the usual flower shape it took on, it resembled the rune Elsword always summoned. The warmth was emanating from the charm as its tracking spell activated—but wait, that wasn't possible, she'd left its pair at home, tucked safely away in her desk. She was going to give it to-

"Elsword?" she breathed, afraid to allow herself the small hope that thought possessed. Could he have found it? But why would he have been in her room? Besides, even if he had, he would never have found it—only Rena and Eve knew about the matching amulets, and they were both in the vicinity. But her necklace had only reacted now.

Aisha sighed, maybe her spell had gone awry. Such bad timing it had, too, letting her believe for a split second that Elsword had finally come. With a sad shake of her head, the Elemental Master stood up, ready to put her magic theory to the test.

Grabbing her staff, she closed her eyes and concentrated on the pulsing magic seals around her. This was her last chance, and she was at her wits end. Her spell _had_ to work, otherwise she'd collapse with no mana and no other chance at escaping.

Feeling the seals around her, the Mage began to chant the mantra for ice, then wind, then lightning, and finally, fire. Her mana maxed and upon vocalizing the last two words of the spell, she snapped her eyes open.

"...Elemental Storm!"

Throwing her staff up, she felt the restrictions around her break, and felt a new power surge inside her. Large icicles were summoned as she jumped up, followed by a gust of cold, harsh wind. Aisha grabbed her staff, slamming it down, and became surrounded by a storm of lightning, pure destruction in tow. Eyes blazing a violent purple, the girl let out a shriek of laughter as she spun, generating wave after wave of fire, annihilating the seals and her entrapment completely.

The purple-haired girl fell to her knees, casting a weary glance around the room—or what was left of it, at least. She'd managed to not only destroy the magic seals and her cage, but also the computers and stray lab equipment that had been lying about. The whole room steamed.

Propping herself up with her staff, she felt her mana replenishing itself like normal, and her body buzzed from the spell. Panting, she grinned. She'd succeeded. Holy El, was that a success.

When she had enough strength to move, Aisha gathered her staff and stuffed her spell book back into her pocket. She hurried towards the door, eager to catch up to her friends. Flinging the door open, she ran out, colliding with someone so fast, it sent both of them sprawling.

"Shit..." Hissed a voice, "Jeezus what the...?" It trailed off as it realized who was laying in front of them, head spinning from the sudden impact.

With a gasp, the figure scrambled over to the girl, eyes widening. "Aisha!?"

She could've sworn she was seeing things in those seconds after the collision. That red hair was too familiar and, moreover, it was a sight too good to be true for the situation. It couldn't be real. He couldn't be here-there was no way. Her worn out mind was playing tricks on her, and smacking into someone—and then colliding with the floor—hadn't helped.

"Aisha!"

Closing her eyes, she winced and shook her head. Now was definitely not the time for dreams; she had things to do, people to save.

"Oi, Grape Head, you're still in there right?"

She felt a flick on her forehead, and with a scowl, she opened her eyes. "Elsword, I told you the next time you called me that I was going to burn your fac—OHMYEL-!" Her jaw dropped, and she sat up fast—too fast—and knocked heads with the boy.

"Holy El, how many times are you gonna do that?" the boy swore, rubbing his head. "I mean, I deserve a lot of punishment, but you're gonna make yourself an even bigger idiot with losing all those brain cells."

"Elsword!" she threw her arms around him, burying her head in his chest, breathing him in. Tears she couldn't hide disappeared into the folds of his black shirt, but that didn't stop them from not being evident in her voice.

"I thought you weren't coming..."

**Elsword's POV**

He stiffened, appalled at her sudden embrace. But the hurt and sadness and longing came crashing back, and he returned the action desperately. His strong arms shook in doubt as he wrapped them around her.

Feeling his hesitation, she looked up at him. Her beloved amethyst eyes were brimming with tears, but she managed to smile at the boy. It was as if she could tell how upset he was and was reassuring him, but he couldn't stop himself from whispering,

"Why didn't you think I would come?"

At his words, her face softened and she smiled again, this time sadly. "The others came, but you weren't with them, and its been so long. I was sure we were really done."

He knew he had royally screwed up, and he didn't deserve a second chance. Elsword closed his eyes, willing the pain not to show on his face.

"You're such an idiot," Aisha murmured, "you can't always hide your pain, but that's okay." Her fingers ghosted over his face, wiping away a tear he didn't know was there. "That's why I'm here, so you don't have to act strong all the time. You can show me any side of you and I'll still love you forever. I won't tell," and she sealed the quiet promise, pressing her soft lips against his.

Her kiss drowned him in a forgiveness he didn't deserve, but he couldn't think of why anymore. He couldn't even think. There was only the sensation of her warm lips on his and how they tingled every time the two separated for a breath. Her sweet taste filled his brain and dissipated every bad thought, replacing them with her. Her, all her. Nothing but how much he missed her, how much he loved her, how he wanted her.

Her hands had tangled themselves in his hair while his found their way to her face. He pulled away first, panting slightly, and cupped her face in his hands. Through half-lidded eyes, he gazed at her, wanting to etch the scene into his memory forever, so that he'd never forget how beautiful she was.

"I'm so sorry, Aisha..." he started, "I was such a jerk and-"

She cut him off, pressing a finger to his lips, "Shh, it's okay. I forgive you. I always will." With a small grin she detangled herself from him and stood up, before extending a hand to the boy. "We're such a mess aren't we? Right when I figure out a spell to escape, you show up and it turns out I wasted all that mana for nothing. But whatever, come on Elbaka~ lets go save our friends."

More grateful than ever, he took her hand. Together, the couple ran down hallway after hallway of ice in search of the rest of the gang.

"Hey, how did you know exactly where I was? The others got stuck at Chloe and the demons, how'd you sneak past them?" Aisha wondered aloud as they ran.

"Uhh I don't know, I came from the other direction, I think. It's all thanks to this," and he pulled at the chain around his neck, "I followed where I felt it directing me and somehow ended up finding you, avoiding the enemy completely. I haven't even seen Ran or Chloe and I've only come across a few demons."

"That's-Where'd you get that?" the girl gaped, "I thought it was at home!"

"Rena gave it to me, well, left it to me, and she had something you'd written that explained what they were. I knew your magic would work so I followed it, assuming you would have the other one with you." Elsword explained with a shrug. He watched as she blinked in bewilderment, slowing to a stop while she tried to connect everything.

"But I didn't write anything except for-HEY! She looked in my diary! Agh! She already snooped so much at your present and now she's probably read my whole diary!" The Mage let go of his hand and pressed her hands to her temples, annoyed at their elven friend.

Grinning, he said, "But if she hadn't known, I probably wouldn't have found you, so at least she comes to some use."

"Ohh she makes me so mad! You're right, but just because-"

"Just because she has more chest than you'll ever have doesn't give her the right?" A dark voice interjected, making both of them jump. Whirling around, the two found themselves face to face with Ran, who appeared out of the shadowed ice behind them.

"R-Ran!" Aisha yelped, stepping back, reaching for Elsword's hand again.

"Didn't I tell you not to speak to me?" He hissed, his bright eyes narrowing. Before Ran could do any more than raise his hand, Elsword butt in.

"What the El do you want, Ran? Didn't get enough fire last time we beat you?" His hand formed a tight fist and an angry flame blazed to life. "You'll pay for trying to take Aisha," the Rune Slayer spat, glaring at the demon lord.

"Now, now, don't get the wrong idea," Ran purred, "I only took your girlfriend as bait. I assure you, I have no real need for her. The one I want is you."

"What?" Elsword furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"You see," Ran began to pace, "I have many a demon magician stronger than your girl, here. I also have thousands of swordsmen, archers, et cetera, but I have no one like you. You are exceptional, Elsword, and I desire your power. Now, if you don't want to give it to me voluntarily, I can understand. I'll just have to turn you into my personal demon familiar, myself, which would probably be much easier anyways. Do we have a deal?" he said with a smirk.

"No way in Lurensia would I join you," Elsword spat, gripping Aisha's hand tightly.

"Well, good thing we're in Hamel then, yes? We're going with the second option, I believe? Very well. It will be more fun anyways," the demon lord summoned two shadow clones who lunged at the couple, forcing them to jump back. Aisha raised her staff but Elsword cut her off with a wave of his arm.

"This is my fight," he said.

"You can't take Ran by yourself!" cried the Mage, "we barely won last time with the whole gang!"

"I know, but he wants me, not you. Go rendezvous with the others and bring them here. I'll hold him until you get back."

"Elsword-"

"Aisha, I love you, so trust me, please." The boy's eyes blazed red as he pleaded with her.

"Fine! Just... Don't you dare die!" She kissed him quickly on the cheek and teleported away, but not fast enough for him not to see her tears.

"Alright, Ran," Elsword snarled, "let's play a game."

* * *

**How was that for an update? I'll be writing the next few chapters in quick succession so hopefully they'll be edited and uploaded before the end of the month (unfortunately, I am busy with life and work so I can't just write all the time...) **

**Stay tuned!**


	6. A Game of Life or Chance

**Alright! I'm back-and a whole day early-and we're (sadly) nearing the end of this cute little story... I hope you all enjoy!**

_**Disclaimer: Elsword and it's characters and worlds are all owned by KOG, not I.**_

* * *

**Saving the Hero**

_by: naeHaneul_

* * *

**Chapter Six**

* * *

**Aisha's POV**

It didn't take long for Aisha to catch up with the rest of the Elgang, one could easily follow the trail of demon corpses as the crew fought their way towards Chloe, but it seemed like she couldn't be fast enough. Not only was Ran obviously more powerful than last time, but every demon she whacked to death with her staff seemed like a waste of time-every spell seemed like a waste of mana-because Elsword was all by himself.

"Lightning Bolt!" the Elemental Master fired her favorite blast of lightning and took out a few demons that were trying to sneak up behind a familiar blonde-haired figure.

The Grand Archer spun, a grin lighting up her face, "Aisha! Wow, it's good to see you-wait, how'd you-"

"Long story," Aisha interjected, breathless, and readied her staff, "we've got bigger problems: Els is facing Ran alone."

Despite the chaos on the battlefield, all of the gang caught the last part of Aisha's sentence.

"Che! Then what are we doing fighting these stupid demons if Aisha's already freed?" Chung spat blood from his split lip and plowed his cannon into a group of demon archers that were aiming for Eve.

"Objective has been acquired. Rerouting strategy to find the quickest road to Ran," Eve frowned at the mess in front of her. "Oberon, Ophelia, these minions are a bore. Get rid of all of them," she ordered her servants in front of her to take out a what was left of the legion in front of Chung. Nodding to her partner, they both turned to face the Elemental Master.

Aisha summoned a "Meteor Shower!" and continued, "Ran is back and a hell of a lot stronger than last time. We've got to-"

"I don't think so!" Chloe interrupted in a frenzy. "If you think you can just prance your way around my army and then-"

"Argh! So annoying!" Ara shouted, changing into Celestial Fox and swinging her spear at Chloe, which caught her by surprise. Ara swept a wave of demons into the air-including the dark elf, herself-and launched a series of overpowering slashes. By the time her attack was over, the girl was panting, but she still managed to kick over the last few demons who had been frozen in shock at the Sakra Devanam's new skill.

The rest of the Elgang blinked. Silence settled in the cold air of the Halls of Water.

"Wh-what the El was that?" Chung stammered.

"Honestly, I didn't expect that to take out the rest of them…" Ara slumped to the ground with a satisfied huff. Around her were the scattered remains of Chloe's army, but the only one still moving was the dark elf, who shrieked a string of curses.

"Dammit! You'll pay for this! You'll-"

Raven slammed the butt of his sword against her back and she crumpled to the icy floor. "That should shut her up for a while," his golden eyes looked directly at Aisha, "let's go. Sounds like we've a hero to save, yes?"

**Elsword's POV**

"Ho? A game? Don't tell me you think you'll win. You should listen to your lover. Or what, haven't learned your lesson yet?" Ran's magenta orbs seemed to laugh at the boy before him. "Pray tell, you insolent little brat," he purred, raising his sword.

"It's a game called 'Hero'. The rules? He who falls first, bows first."

"Are you mocking me? Even an attitude like yours can be fixed once you've tasted the power of the Dark El," the demon lord summoned another shadow puppet behind Elsword, who had to dodge the slash of its sword. "I can't wait to put you against that Mage of yours. I can just imagine her face as she falls to your sword…"

"Rule one: A hero practices chivalry," said Elsword, running forward. "Heroes must always protect their friends," his blade met Ran's and he quickly summoned a few explosive runes, jumping back.

Ran simply waved away the Rune Slayer's flames and stepped forward, disappearing and reappearing in front of his face. The demon king's speed was unmatched, and Elsword barely had time to raise his sword in defense before his opponent was upon him. Slashing line after line of darkness, the red-haired boy parried the strikes, but had no time to attack. Instead, he kicked at Ran's sword and rolled to the side, launching a fire rune at the demon's feet.

As it burned out, Ran flipped back. Landing lightly on his feet a few yards away, he smirked as a thin line of blood appeared on Elsword's cheek which drew out a curse from the boy.

This fight would be harder than he thought, but he had to win, for a true hero protects his friends.

"Rule two," the Rune Slayer started once more, "A hero must never show weakness, for even in times of peril, heroes stand strong and fight." Elsword set his jaw and launched himself at the demon lord straight on, drawing a summoning rune behind his back.

Ran let out a maniacal laugh and swiped a dark claw at the boy, bringing about a magic effect like no other. Because of his frontal attack, Elsword had no choice but to take the blunt of the spell. Skidding back, he winced and, with his mana stolen, his rune became useless.

"You can't fool me, boy, I see everything! I'll show you the power of what you'll become when I win!"

"I guess I'll just have to make up some new tricks then, eh, Ran?" the boy shouted at his enemy, unable to hold back a grin. "I haven't been this fired up since we challenged Chloe in Velder!"

"I'll end this quickly," decided the demon lord, summoning a few shadow clones. Raising his sword he flew at the red-haired boy, clones close behind.

Elsword took a deep breath, saving the mana he had left and bracing himself for impact. He had no problem blocking Ran's imminent strike, but he had to think of what the shadows would do. Defense wasn't his usual mojo but he decided to take a page from his friend, the Blade Master's, book and draw in his enemy. As hard as it was to calm that hot-headed conscious of his, if he was gonna last until Aisha and the others got here, he had to fight wisely.

Ran slashed sideways and his clones followed with more waves of solid darkness, but the swordsman sidestepped and, thinking back to his training days with his sister, pointed his sword down in feint, so that the darkness was deflected and Ran was stunned back.

Using the split second that his opponent was stunned, he spun and slammed his sword down, "Flaming Geyser!" The sudden burst of flames caught Ran off guard, burning straight through his shadow clones and singeing the tips of his silver-white hair. He couldn't fall back quick enough, however, because Elsword dove through the dissipating flames of his skill and summoned another, "Luna Blade!"

The Rune Slayer's summoned sword sliced through the air and cut Ran's mana enough to prevent him from summoning another shadow clone. The demon lord hissed and narrowed his magenta eyes into a glare that physically chilled the Hall of Water's air.

"Don't get too cocky, brat," Ran swore, wiping at a burn mark on his shoulder and dropping to one knee.

"Rule three: A hero gives it all they've got because every fight is worth winning, especially if it's to protect the ones I love!" shouted Elsword, readying his sword.

He thought back to when he had first learned how to summon fire and Aisha had fell backwards laughing because his first fire rune exploded in his face. He'd had to go the whole next expedition with singed hair and smelling so badly of burnt toast that all the lizardmen they fought laughed in his face too.

He thought back to the time he'd teased Chung so much about his huge crush on Eve that even the Nasod Queen herself blushed and they'd all been so surprised at her reaction, she'd literally slapped him down an Altera mine.

He thought back to the talk he and Raven shared about what it meant to protect those you love and how Raven had told him straight on that he loved Rena and he cared for the rest of them and would never let his friends die in front of him again. Raven said that the only reason one ever needs for wielding a sword is to protect those who might not be able to protect themselves, and he'd made Elsword promise to never lose his way.

He thought about how he really would go to the end of the world to save his friends, and how, even though he promised to protect them all, his promise to live with them was more important…

"_Just…don't you dare die, okay?"_

Aisha's kind smile flashed in his mind. He'd ruined his own birthday and he'd almost lost his best friend because of his own immaturity, and he was not about to lose now, when his friends were fighting with him. And Aisha... His Aisha. She was probably so worried by now, and he definitely could not let her down. He'd already made her hurt so much. When this was all over, he would take her out on a proper date-something they hadn't had the time to do since they'd starting going out.

He'd once made a promise to catch up to his sister, to make her see him as an equal and for her to be proud of him, and now, Elsword was sure he was making his sister proud. Her smile shone through the darkness that shrouded Ran.

With a smile for those who were undoubtedly cheering him on, he let loose a trick that he'd kept secret even to them.

"Sorry guys, looks like you're gonna miss my ultimate skill," he whispered almost inaudibly, and, glancing down at the fire pendent hanging from his neck, he set his resolve.

The red-haired boy stepped towards where Ran was straightening up, clenched his hand around his trusty sword, and pointed it at the demon in front of him.

"In the end, a hero never shows mercy for those who've forsaken their friends."

With that, he sprinted forward, mouth open as a new incantation split from his tongue, a new skill, a new power. A new form of fire.

Not so far away, a certain group of friends glanced ahead at the fiery explosion. Sharing a knowing look and a smile, they quickened their pace. If their friend was giving it his all, they couldn't just miss it.

He'd outdone himself yet again, but what else was to be expected? He was the hero, after all.

"SHINING RUNE BUSTER!"

* * *

**Ayyyy so how was that? And yes, the thing Ara did to take out the rest of Chloe's army was her HA, Heaven's Wrath. Anyhoo~ R&amp;R, people, and I'll be back soon with another addition!**


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